


A Special Kind of Love

by PurrtlePuff



Category: Jacksepticeye RPF, Markiplier RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bob/Mandy - Freeform, Felix/Marzia - Freeform, Homophobia, More characters to be added, Multi, Platonic Soulmates, Self Harm, Septiplier is sorta away in this one? xD, They're the platonic soulmates so, Wade/Molly - Freeform, if you'd rather read septiplier smut this isn't the fic for you, other minor ships include, suicidal thoughs, trigger warnings include
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurrtlePuff/pseuds/PurrtlePuff
Summary: He dreamed of this moment his whole life. Everyone got their soulmark on their thirteenth birthday at the time of their birth. His neighbors, friends, and family came to a party all to see who the lucky girl would be. Only it wasn't a girl. And it wasn't on his wrist.Jack left his life behind, hoping he could erase the shame he felt. He didn't like guys that way, so why was that name scribbled on his side? Or at least he thought he didn't know, until he ran into his soulmate, Mark. Jack knew in that moment what it meant to have a soulmate. He could sense what Mark was feeling, where he was, and heard his heartbeat in his chest. But something felt off. He still didn't love him.





	1. Anticipation

**Author's Note:**

> Hooo boy here I go! I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Yes, I figured out how to shove it into my schedule.
> 
> Please be warned!!! I only have one day to edit these chapters before they're published. There will be mistakes. If that bothers you, now's a good time to leave. :)
> 
> Also, Septiplier is not end game, so if you're hoping this will turn into a wonderful slow burner of how Mark and Jack fell in love, this isn't the fic for you either. There are tons of other Septiplier soulmate AUs I could direct you to, if you're looking. :) Or you could click the back button~
> 
> Anyway, if you're still here, welcome! This is actually something I've been thinking about for a while now, but NaNoWriMo is pushing me to actually do it. I've always loved the soulmate genre, but I feel platonic soulmates make for more interesting stories. (Perhaps it's because I have one haha)
> 
> But in all seriousness, I hope you enjoy. Any feedback is appreciated. :)

Sean bounced around on his heels. He straightened out the collar of his shirt and made sure his hair was in place. As he stared at his reflection, he noticed the door open behind him.

“Hey, Ma,” he greeted.

His mother smiled and walked in behind him. He began brushing his hair. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he felt her warm kiss on his head.

“Your last day as a child,” she said, her eyes tearing up. “What happened to my small bean.”

“He grew into a big bean,” Sean answered back. He put the comb down on the dresser and turned to face her. “I can’t believe it. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.”

His mother chuckled. “You have your whole life to grow up, Jack. Please slow down.”

“What was it like?” His mother looked down at him, and Sean chewed at his lips. “When you and dad met?”

His mother responded, and sighed at the memory. “It was like the world burst into color. But you know this story, Jack. I just told you yesterday.”

“But I love listening to how you and dad met,” Sean said. “I hope I feel the same thing when I look at her.”

“And I’m sure you will. Your soulmate is one lucky girl.” His mom placed a kiss on his forehead. “Now, let’s get down to the party before the guests get restless.”

Sean jumped off his chair and ran past his mother. He waited for her to follow before stumbling down the stairs. At the bottom, he lost his footing. The room lurched. A whistle sound deafened him. Sean reached out. His hand met cloth, and he latched on.

“Jeysus-” Sheamus turned around and looked at his youngest brother. He laughed and pulled Sean up to his feet. “Don’t go killing yourself now, kiddo. Your whole life starts after tonight you know.”

“Sorry,” Sean said as he straightened out his shirt. 

“There’s my boy,” his dad called out and patted Sean on the back. Sean looked around at friends and family, all here for his party. Sean felt his throat dry. His father rubbed between his shoulderblades. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Sean responded and tried to hide the squeak in his voice. The grandfather clock ticked next to him. Sixteen more minutes.

White clothed tables stretched across the living room, each one seating about 32 people each. The red chair in the middle of the table closest to the wall was reserved for him. Everyone would want to watch the ceremony unfold. Sean went through many soulmark ceremonies with his siblings, though he was just an observer. Now the attention was on him, and he didn’t think the party was as much fun anymore. 

Sean made his way through the crowd and said hello to his guests. Some congratulated him, others cooed about how grown up he looked. Sean could feel his nerves ticking away with the clock. He hated attention pinned on him; it made his palms itch.

His father banged a spoon on a wine glass, and the chattering stopped. “If you would all have a seat, I’d like to get the ceremony started.”

Sean looked at the clock. Five minutes.

The guests took their seats, and Sean sat next to his sister, Mary. She grabbed onto his hand and gave a gentle squeeze. Sean looked over at her, and her gentle smile sent him comfort.

“It’ll be over soon,” she whispered to him. Sean thanked whoever gave his sister such an empathetic connection to him.

His father cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me announce a soulmark ceremony, but I promise this will be my last.” He paused for a moment and cleared his throat. “At half past eight on Febuary 7th, my family and I were blessed with our third son and fifth child, Sean William McLaughlin. I’ll have to admit, I was wondering what He was thinking when He gave me another boy-” the crowd snickered, “but Sean was the best gift we ever got. He’s kind, gentle, and grew up into a finer young man than I ever thought possible. So I raise a toast to you, Sean.”

His father raised his glass, and the whole party did as well. Sean raised his glass and glanced at the clock. Thirty seconds. 

His father continued, “May your soul be guided and your soulmate’s love eternal.”

“To Sean,” the whole room spoke. Sean looked at the red wine in his glass and took a sip. It burned his throat, but he didn’t care. He was more interested in watching the clock’s second hand tick back and forth. Five… four… three…

He stared down at his wrist. His blue veins stared back at him, and Sean swallowed hard. The clock struck 8:30, and all attention shifted to him. The clock’s chimes turned from pleasant music to a deafening silence. 

Sean felt his stomach begin to burn. His heart pounded, and his eyes teared up. His sister looked from his wrist to his face and back again. 

His wrist was bare. There were no magic letters writing themselves in a fancy color. Sean twisted his wrist around, hoping if he looked away, his wrist would reveal the name like some sort of sick magic trick.

Whispers echoed around the room. His father let out a nervous laugh.

“Perhaps our clock is a bit fast,” he spoke. Sean’s ears burned. He stared down at the bare flesh on his skin and swallowed thickly. His ears muffled out all sounds except for one word.

Soulless.

Mary ran a hand on his shoulder. “Dad could be right. We could be early.”

“Or I’m doomed to spend the rest of my life alone.” Sean’s eyes teared up. Mary bit her lip and exhaled through her nose.

“Oh, Jack,” his mother cooed as she came over and gave her baby boy a hug. Sean felt his mother’s grip break the dam on his eyes, and he cried into her chest. His left side ached as he sobbed. The party moved to a more somber melody. Sean didn’t care. He wanted out.

As guests began to leave, they came over to him and expressed their sympathy. It left a sour taste in his throat. All empty words said to those cursed without a soulmate. 

After the last of his guests left, Sean stomped up to his room. He kicked his door open and flopped down on his bed. What was his life going to be like now? Being soulless wasn’t unheard of, but it was undesired. Everyone in the world was born with a soulmate.

Well, everyone except him.

Sean scrubbed bitterly at his face. He walked over to his mirror and looked at his eyes. Puffy red eyes surrounded his blue irises. He let out a mocking sniffle and pulled his shirt over his head to get undressed. Sean flung his shirt over his shoulder, and he watched it land in a pile of forgotten laundry.

As he twisted, his left side pinched. Sean grit his teeth and looked down. Red marks lined his left side in weird twisted loops. He ran a finger over them. What did he scratch himself on?

Sean looked in the mirror. His eyes widened. The marks were letters. Backwards in the mirror, but still letters. Someone’s name.

He had a soulmate!

“MA. HEY MA.” Sean yelled as he ran out of the room. He crashed into the hallway and raced into his parent’s room. His mother sat up in her bed and put her book down. His father stepped out of their master bathroom and into the bedroom.

His mother set the book on her nightstand. “Sean, what-”

His face beamed. “I have a soulmate!”

His father looked over, his face bright. “Well, let us see, Jackaroonie!”

His mother reached out for his wrist, but Sean twisted his body before she could. He looked down at the upside down words and smiled. His heart fluttered in his chest as he stared at the words. He couldn’t wait to meet her! Well, whoever she was. He needed his parents to read the name to him. As he looked up, his mother had her hands over her mouth, and tears ran down her cheeks. His father ran a hand through his hair.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” his father whispered.

Sean’s heart skipped a beat. Why were they acting so weird? Didn’t they want this?

“Sean,” his mother licked her lips. “Honey, can you read what it says?”

“No.” Sean rubbed some warmth back into his arms.

His father cleared his throat. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it soon after. After he ran another hand through his hair, his father spoke.

“Mark Edward Fischbach.”

Sean felt his stomach backflip. A boy. His soulmate was a boy. Sean backed out of the room. His mother called his name, but he couldn’t hear it over his beating heart. He crashed into his door and held onto it for support.

Jack remembered his soulmate classes in school. Having a same sex soulmate was more common than people believed, but it was hell to those who bore the name. People died over having same sex names scribbled on their wrists. Many wore makeup to hide their shame. Others killed themselves to end the torture from those surrounding them. Very few got their happy endings.

Meaning he wouldn’t get his happy ending.

Sean felt ready to puke. He rubbed his fingers over the name, the red letters mocking him. His fingernails dug into the skin, and he scratched at it. No, he raked his nails back and forth. Harder and harder, until trails of blood ran down his side. Jack’s eyes teared up again.

Why did it have to be a boy? Dreams of having a girl to call his soulmate vanished in his mind. Never would he know the soft kiss of a woman, the gentle touch of her hand on his skin, the sweet smell of her perfume in the home. Of course, he still could experience it, but it wouldn’t feel right. His soul knew he belonged to another. Besides, she’d find out eventually and curse his name. He’d be alone.

Sean wished he was still soulless.


	2. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh come on!” Mark growled as Bob laughed again. He put his middle finger down and stared at his solitary pointer finger. He knew it was just a game, but his anger got the best of him. “Never have I ever found my soulmate.”
> 
> The room got quiet. Mark’s eyes widened as soon as the words left his lips. He could feel Bob and Wade staring at his wrists, and he put his hands in his pockets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, chapter 2! And this time, we get to check in and see what Markimoo is doing. And what better time to drop in than a casual sleep over between college buddies.

“Never have I ever… got alcohol poisoning.”

“Fuck, Bob, that was ONE TIME.”

Bob laughed as Mark put one of his fingers down. Wade looked over at Mark and chuckled through his nose. 

“Hey, you’re still winning, somehow, so don’t get mad over cheap shots.”

Mark’s face deadpanned. “Never have I ever proposed to someone.”

“Okay, that was below the belt.” Wade growled as he put a finger down. Bob shook his head as he put a finger down as well. 

Mark counted their fingers. Mark was in the lead so far, with three fingers standing. Bob only had one standing, and Wade had two fingers left. Mark side glanced over to his latter friend. Wade scratched his left cheek. Mark knew Wade was thinking of a way to eliminate Mark from the game. He could see the cocky grin on Wade’s face.

“Never have I ever,” Wade started, “stopped growing under 6 feet.”

“You asshole,” Mark grumbled. He looked over at Bob, who was stifling a laugh, and felt his cheeks burn. The next time one of them spoke, he knew all three of them had a chance of losing the game. For some reason, Bob and Wade ganged up on him, and his lead dropped five fingers in the past minute.

Bob’s smirk widened. “Never have I ever dropped out of college.”

“Oh come on!” Mark growled as Bob laughed again. He put his middle finger down and stared at his solitary pointer finger. He knew it was just a game, but his anger got the best of him. “Never have I ever found my soulmate.”

The room got quiet. Mark’s eyes widened as soon as the words left his lips. He could feel Bob and Wade staring at his wrists, and he put his hands in his pockets. 

Wade looked ready to speak, but he closed his mouth and put a finger down. Bob followed suit, and Mark felt sick to his stomach.

“Well, looks like you win, Mark,” Wade commented to break the silence. 

Bob pushed his glasses up on his face. “How about some Mario Kart before bed?”

Mark stood up. “Start without me. I have to use the bathroom.” 

Bob and Wade watched Mark walk out of the room. Mark closed the bathroom door a little harder than he wanted to and slid over to the sink. His reflection stared back at him, looking like it just saw a ghost. Mark rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair.

They didn’t know. No one knew. 

Mark presented himself as soulless. Most people pitied him, which is how he found Wade in the first place, but he always said it never bothered him. Well, at least it didn’t, until Bob found his soulmate, Mandy, and Wade found his soulmate after a failed relationship. They poked fun around it, because Mark poked fun at it. But at the end of the day, Mark’s side hurt whenever he thought of not finding his mate.

Why was he keeping this a secret? He knew Bob and Wade wouldn’t care who his soulmate was, but he didn’t trust anyone else. His mother disowned him when she found out he had a male soulmate, though he said it was because of an argument. Thankfully he still had his father at the time to turn to.

Mark pulled up his shirt and examined the name scribbled in green letters. He remembered the first time he spoke the words “Sean William McLaughlin” and how it made his tongue tingle. The words came in black at first, meaning Sean hadn’t gotten his name yet. He remembered how in February, about 10 years ago, the letters turned green, along with a searing hot pain and scratch marks running up and down his side. He didn’t sleep at all that night. 

Did Sean hate him? Did his family disown him? Was he ashamed to bear Mark’s name? Maybe it wasn’t Sean hurting him at all.

Mark splashed water on his face. Ever since his name turned green, the letters kept burning. Was Sean in trouble? Mark’s stomach backflipped as he thought of Sean ending up dead somewhere because he had a male soulmate.

And why didn’t his name show up on his wrist?

Ever since Mark found out he had a soulmate written on his side and not on his wrist, he turned toward any information he could find. No one he knew had a soulmate written on their side. Of course, who would want to openly say they had a soulmate written in the wrong place of their body? From what Mark understood, a soulmate written on the side of your body was even more rare than being soulless. It meant that their love would bloom in a special kind of way… whatever the hell that meant.

Which was good for Mark, seeing as he was straight.

The door knocked. 

“Mark, you okay in there?” Mark sighed as Wade continued, “You wanna talk about anything?”

Mark felt bad keeping this secret from Wade especially, who knew more about him than his own parents. Without thinking he spoke.

“Yeah, actually there’s a lot I want to tell you.”

He heard Wade shuffle on the other side of the door. “Okay, can I come in, or am I going to have to ask you to build a snowman?”

Mark chuckled. “Go away, Wade.” After a slight pause, he continued, “Come in. There’s something I want to show you.”

The door handle turned, and Wade peeked in. He looked relieved to see Mark in one piece, and Mark leaned against the sink.

“Secret conversations in the bathroom, huh? Want me to braid your hair next?”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Okay, you might want to sit down for this one.” Wade looked around before taking a seat on the floor. Mark followed him down and crossed his legs. He looked at the floor before looking up at Wade. Wade’s expression turned into one of curiousity. Mark knew he could spill the world’s information without the secret escaping.

“Okay, what is it?” Wade asked.

“I…” Mark gathered his words. “I do have a soulmate, actually.”

“I knew it!” Wade clapped his hands. He looked down at Mark’s wrists. “What’s their name?”

Mark chuckled. He presented his wrist and rubbed at the skin. “The reason I’ve been able to hide it so well is… it’s not on my wrist.”

Wade lifted an eyebrow. Mark sat on his knees and lifted up the bottom of his shirt. His heart pounded in his chest. Wade’s eyes went from confused to shocked as he stared at the green letters.

“It’s on your side?” Wade commented.

“Of course that’s the only thing you’re worried about,” Mark said with a snort. 

Wade smiled. “Well yeah, there’s that, but why is it on your side? What does it mean?”

“I don’t know,” Mark said. “From what I gather, it means we’re going to have some sort of special love.”

Wade made a kissy face, and Mark shoved him backwards. Wade laughed as he caught his balance on the bathroom sink. 

“But in all seriousness, I thought you were straight. Is there something else you’re hiding from me?”

“As far as I know, I am straight,” Mark replied. “I have never looked at a guy and wanted to bang them.” Wade raised an eyebrow. “Oh come on, you’d fuck Danny too.”

“Maybe,” Wade responded. “But you know, in all seriousness, it’s not unheard of for bi people to only be attracted to a handful of one sex or the other.”

“I know,” Mark responded and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think the possibility of being bi is the part that bothers me.”

“Then what are you so afraid of? You’re not one to worry about damaged masculinity. We wore dresses on camera already.”

Mark wrung his hands. “I don’t know. I guess it's because I’ve been rejected before.”

Wade paused and put the pieces together. “Mark, I’d never do that to you. You’re one of my best friends.”

Somehow hearing the words made Mark feel 100x better, even though he already knew Wade’s answer. He lifted his shirt up once again and brushed his fingers over the name. 

“I don't have a clue who he is though.”

“With your luck, he's probably halfway around the world.”

“Probably.” Mark snorted and ran a hand through his hair. “We should probably head out before Bob gets suspicious.”

“You’re going to tell him, right?” Wade asked.

Mark nodded. Wade and Mark both stood up and returned to the living room. Bob munched on a bag of fresh popcorn and pulled up the game menu. He turned to face the two walking into the room and smirked.

“Enjoy your little chat in the bathroom?”

Wade looked over at Mark. The latter cleared his throat. “Bob, I have a soulmate.”

“Well that was forward,” Bob said and shrugged. “I kinda figured. I saw the letters once when I walked in on you getting dressed. I thought maybe it was a creepy tattoo of some guy you had a crush on.”

“What even-” Mark’s mouth hung open as Wade began to laugh. His cheeks burned as he took his seat between his two best friends. Now that he thought about it, he felt rather silly about not telling them. They were both so casual about it, he almost scolded himself for not telling them sooner.

“Well, at least I know you won’t die alone now,” Bob commented halfway through the game.

“There’s no guarantee I’ll even find the guy. And with the way my mark has been acting, chances are he doesn’t want to meet me.”

“Yeah, he’ll think that until he actually does,” Wade spoke. “When you find your soulmate, even when you think you were in love before, life just clicks together.”

Bob added, “And you know no matter what, this person is going to have your back. They know when you’re sad, hurting, or just need a hug.”

“Such tender thoughts,” Mark spoke, pretending to tear up. He then turned around and fake vomited. Bob and Wade erupted into laughter, drowning out the sound of all three game characters dying at once.


	3. Domestic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, Felix said he won’t be home for a few hours. He’s in some sort of business meeting. You want to go grab some coffee at the shop?” Marzia quirked a smile. “Or would you rather stay home and play with your new toy?”
> 
> Jack shrugged. “I might as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was later than my last two. Work kept me tonight, and I didn't get home to edit this until late.
> 
> So, here we have a wonderful scene between Marzia and Jack... until it's not. Enjoy :D

“Hey, Jack, your package arrived.”

Jack finished typing out the words on his blog, then shut his laptop lid. He ran down the stairs and whipped his body around with his hand on the rail. He gasped when he nearly ran into Marzia. Edgar barked behind him, and Maya’s paws padded into the room to check out what all the noise was coming from.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” he said as he took his package from her hands. She giggled and shook her head.

“You didn’t even touch me.”

“But I scared you.” Jack put the small cardboard package on the table and started to open it. Marzia raised an eyebrow and watched Jack pull a camera from the box.

“Thinking of vlogging instead of blogging from now on?” she asked.

Jack rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. “Actually, I thought of starting up my own gaming channel.”

Marzia smiled. “That’s great! Now I’ll never get some peace and quiet around here.”

“Hey, if you can suffer through me and Felix screwing around, you can stand me shouting at games,” Jack replied. Marzia chuckled. Jack examined the high definition camera in his hands.

He thought of doing this for such a long time. Jack loved watching Felix play games, and he always loved playing games in his free time. He wondered if he could make others has happy as Felix did, just being himself and creating goofy things for people to watch.

“So, Felix said he won’t be home for a few hours. He’s in some sort of business meeting. You want to go grab some coffee at the shop?” She quirked a smile. “Or would you rather stay home and play with your new toy?”

Jack shrugged. “I might as well.” Jack grabbed his coat off the back of the kitchen chair and followed Marzia out the door. The chilly autumn air blew his hair around, and he pulled the collar of his jacket up to his ears. Marzia tied up her coat and locked the front door.

The gray sky showed no rain yet, but Jack knew that it could pour at any moment. Brighton’s weather was as unpredictable as its ocean. Marzia yawned and rubbed at her eye.

“He’s still not sleeping well?” Jack asked.

Marzia shook her head. “This new deal is really taking a toll on his nerves.”

Jack felt a bit sorry for her. He wondered what hell he put Mark through only getting 5 hours of sleep a night, but he couldn’t help it. Too many things ran through his mind when he had nothing but silence to surround himself with. “Well, I hope whatever the outcome, it’ll be better for the both of you.”

“And you,” Marzia nudged him with her elbow. “You’re as much a part of our family as Edgar and Maya, and don’t you forget it.”

Jack’s lips couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks. You still don’t know how much this means to me.”

Marzia smiled, but she couldn’t help noticing Jack’s smile lower into a slight frown. She put a comforting hand on his back.

“You know we’d never kick you out because of your mark, right?”

“I know,” Jack said with a sigh. “I just wish other people were as understanding.”

They turned the corner and walked into the small coffee shop. The fresh smell of coffee beans drowned out the sweet aroma of cake and pastries. Idle chatter echoed in the room, along with spoons clinking on mugs and the light click-clack of keyboards. Jack walked up to the counter and smiled at the barista.

“The usual,” he spoke and fished in his pocket for money.

The girl behind the counter smiled and rang him up. Marzia took her seat at a window booth and pulled out her phone. Jack watched her lips droop into a frown as she began to type onto the screen. He almost missed the girl calling his name from behind the counter. Jack picked up his and Marzia’s coffee with a small ‘thanks’ and walked over to their table. He sat across from Marzia and put her glass in front of her. She jumped as the mug made a light clink noise, but she sighed and recomposed herself soon after.

“Everything okay?” Jack asked.

Marzia hesitated. “Felix is staying another night. Apparently his boss is having an internal crisis.”

Jack snorted and shook his head. “That makes six days.”

“I know.”

Jack felt his heart ache for her. What was it like to have found your soulmate and not see them for days on end? He couldn’t imagine the torment she was going through. At least he never did meet Mark, so he didn’t have that extra stress in his life. 

Part of him hoped he never met Mark. He finally found a home that loved and accepted him for who he was, and he wasn’t going to let someone he didn’t even want to meet ruin that for him.

Jack noticed the tears in Marzia’s eyes, and he wondered if she was more frustrated or saddened by the news. Felix said he’d only be gone three days tops, and yet here he was, stuck in a never ending game of cat and mouse with a boss that was more indecisive as a child in a candy shop. 

“Look, I know I can’t replace Felix, but I can promise you won’t go through this alone,” Jack commented. Marzia shook her head and put a hand on his. He gripped her fingers tight and sent a comforting smile. 

“I’m so glad we found you,” she said. “With him being away as much as he has, you’ve been a great help.”

“Well someone’s gotta get those videos up on time, right?”

Marzia nodded and blew on her coffee. Jack looked at his phone’s display screen. He made sure Pewdiepie’s newest video got up on time before taking a sip of his own coffee. He looked out the window and watched people walk down the street.

Couples of all shapes, sizes, gender, and color walked hand and hand. No one batted an eyelash here if your soulmate was out of the social norm. He thought of home and how they claimed to be a progressive country, but Jack knew better. It was all fun and games until someone in your family came out.

“Hey Jack,” Marzia spoke as she put down her coffee cup. “You think we could grab a bite to eat after this? I haven’t eaten all day.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “It’s four in the evening. Why haven’t you eaten? Do I need to start being a secretary for you too?”

Marzia shook her head and chuckled. “No, I’m sorry. I just…”

“I know. I’d love to get something to eat.”

Marzia smiled and downed the rest of her coffee. The two chatted idly as they finished their beverages, until Jack’s phone began to buzz. He excused himself from the conversation and picked it up.

“Hello?” he answered. Felix’s voice cursed in hushed Swedish. Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or not. “Rough day buddy?”

“You’re never going to believe this,” Felix whispered. 

“Marzia told me.”

“No, this is something different. You need to go into my e-mails and open this letter called “partner proposal” from Markiplier.”

“Some creeper fan asking to collab again?”

Felix’s voice came out in a heavy sigh. “Just read it. And make sure you’re sitting down, okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jack replied. “I’m going to have to hang up though. I’m out at the coffee house with Marzia.”

“Am I going to have to fight you for my mate’s honor when I come home?”

“Fuck off.”

Felix started to laugh. “No, but seriously bro, read it. It’s super fucking creepy.”

Jack ended his call with Felix and pulled up his e-mail. Since Felix was away, Jack had been monitoring his mail recently. Looks like this time Felix beat him to the punch.

The e-mail in question sat right up top. Jack clicked on it and waited for the wifi to deliver the website’s data. Marzia’s nails tapped on the side of her mug, and Jack wondered why his heart rate increased with every passing second.

The first sentence of the letter seemed formal enough. This Markiplier guy looked really polite, and definitely well structured. Jack remembered the last fan who sent a collab video proposal to Felix and shuddered.

Jack became more confused as the letter went on. Everything seemed fine. Why would Felix ask him to check out this specific letter? And then he got to the last sentence.

Sincerely,

Mark Fischbach

“Jack?” Marzia’s voice shook with concern. “You okay? You’re looking a little paler than normal.”

Her voice grew more muffled with each passing second. Jack’s stomach backflipped. He couldn’t tell what was up or down anymore. He stood up. Why, he didn’t know, but he did it anyway. And he hit the floor pretty hard soon after.

“Jack!” Marzia ran to his side and helped him up. A barista came from behind the counter and asked if they needed to call the paramedics.

“I’m fine. Just got dizzy,” Jack mumbled out. His palms felt unusually sweaty in Marzia’s grip. Marzia put her hand on his forehead.

“You are not. You’re burning up. Are you sick? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m fine,” Jack’s words slurred out again. He tried to push Marzia away, but she held onto him. Jack’s side began to burn. He held onto it as Marzia helped him up to his feet.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

“But you-”

“I’ll eat something back at the apartment. You’re more important than my stomach right now.”

Jack knew better than to argue with Momma Marzia. He let her walk him out of the coffee shop and into the cool air. Jack’s side ached the whole way home. And the worst part was he knew how to make it stop.


	4. Frustration

Felix put his bag down on the coffee table. The clock read a little past 2 in the morning. Silence was normal this time of night. So why was he so off put? 

Almost through habit, he ran his fingers across Marzia’s pink name on his wrist. She slept soundly, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully she wouldn’t wake when he came into the bedroom.

He noted the undone dishes in the sink and frowned. Marzia always cleaned up after their meals right after they were done. She took pride in their home decor. Felix lifted up uneaten spaghetti sitting in the pot with tongs and tested it with his fingers. It was so cold it could freeze water.

Felix made his way up the stairs to the second floor of their home. He crept down the hallway and opened his bedroom door. His hand went over to the light switch, but he stopped himself. If Marzia was asleep, that’d definitely wake her up. He went over to the bathroom instead and got himself ready for bed. The warm shower water calmed his nerves a little, but he still felt uneasy. 

As he dried his hair off with a towel, he glanced into the bedroom. From the low light, he could see the bed was still made, and Marzia was nowhere to be found. His heart rate increased. No, his bond told him she was safe. Why was he panicking? She was probably with Jack anyway and-

Jack did look in the email the other day. He saw his soulmate’s name scribbled on the letter. Did Marzia accompany Jack out to find his soul mate? No, Jack said he didn’t want to meet Mark. Besides, Marzia would’ve told him if she was leaving… wouldn’t she?

Felix snuck down the hall to Jack’s room. His forehead began to sweat as he slowly turned the door handle. He let the light from the hall crack into the room to test the waters. Gentle snores called out from the other side.

Felix opened the door a little wider and peeked in. Marzia lay curled around Jack, one hand cradled in his hair and the other around his chest. Jack’s arm lay across his stomach and clutched onto his soulmark. Felix frowned and wondered if Jack’s mark ached.

Of course it would. He had the ability to contact Mark at the click of a button, and his soulbond knew it. From this moment on, until he met Mark, his mind would only be thinking of one thing. Felix remembered when Marzia found him, and how all he could think about was meeting up with her. They were so far away, and those nights were torture.

“You’re home?”

Felix nearly jumped out of his skin. Marzia’s head rose up from the blankets, and she smiled.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Felix spoke.

“I’ve been awake,” Marzia replied. “I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited because you were finally coming home.”

Felix smiled reflexively. It soon lowered as he spoke, “How is he?”

Marzia sighed. “He’s been crying out in his sleep a lot. Since he read that letter two days ago, he’s been really out of it. I’m so worried about him. I remember what it’s like.” Felix’s stomach twisted. Marzia ran a hand through Jack’s hair again and continued, “This is the first time he slept for more than two hours.”

Felix cursed. “I should’ve never told him.”

“He would’ve found it eventually. He’s too thorough.”

“Is he thinking about…” Felix’s voice trailed off.

“He’s still against meeting him.” Marzia sighed. “He’s not doing him or Mark any favors.”

“I know.” Felix ran a hand through his hair and muttered under his breath. He pulled out his phone and reread the email from Mark.

“Are you-?”

“Not if Jack isn’t okay with it.” Felix read through the words.

From what he could tell from the letter, Mark didn’t know anything about Jack. All he mentioned was collabing with Felix on a gaming video. He’d still be in LA, and Felix would be home as well. And perhaps it was just an innocent collab request. Not many people knew Jack was his editor, unless they binge watched his vlogs. Occasionally he’d get the cheeky Irish bastard on camera, usually doing something cute or making fun of Felix in some way.

Still, this was Jack’s soulmate, and Jack was his best friend. He didn’t want to do anything to overstep a boundary, especially since Jack had no interest in meeting Mark. Though, he feared if Jack wanted the pain to stop, he’d have to meet Mark eventually. And if he met Mark...

“Whatever he chooses, I’ll support it,” Felix continued.

“I agree,” Marzia replied. She watched Jack’s fingers dig into his side as his face twisted in pain. Her hand went from his chest to on top of his other hand, and she squeezed. “My mother did this with me until I could move in with you.”

Felix smiled. “I’m just glad he doesn’t have to go through this alone.”

Marzia bit her lip. She wanted to run over and hug Felix so bad, but she knew if she moved, Jack would wake up. Of course, he still might, seeing as his lips were whispering Mark’s name.

Jack’s torso jumped out of bed. His eyes darted around the room and rested on his phone. Jack’s fingers thumbed at it until he was staring at the email again. His eyes scanned and rescanned it, until he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the phone to his lips.

“I can’t,” he kept repeating under his breath.

Marzia rubbed small circles on his back. “Jack, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Jack’s eyes rested on Felix, and his breathing hitched. Felix knew he was shit at comforting people, so he stayed in the doorway. He offered a small wave, but Jack didn’t acknowledge him. In fact, it was if he stared right through him. Felix shuddered at the thought.

“How long is this going to last?” Jack groaned under his breath. “It was just one fucking email. It wasn’t even addressed to me.”

“But you know where he is now,” Felix responded, “and you’re not going to get any rest until you meet him.”

“This is bullshit!” Jack flopped back onto the bed and dropped his phone. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eye sockets and let out a broken groan of frustration. “I just want this nightmare to be over.”

Marzia looked over at Felix, and he nodded. He sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Marzia pull Jack into her arms. She kissed the top of his forehead, and then pressed her cheek into his hair.

“I wish we could do something to help,” she whispered. She began to sing a soft Italian lullaby as she rubbed small circles over Jack’s shoulder. Jack’s eyes began to water as he grit his teeth.

Felix sighed. “I’m not going to collab with him.”

Marzia’s song trailed off, and Jack’s eyes focused on Felix. He took in a deep breath.

“Don’t do this because-”

“It’s my choice,” Felix replied. “I know you don’t want to meet him. If you see him while you’re editing my next video, it’s going to fucking destroy you. You think you’re bad now, just wait until-”

“Felix,” Marzia hissed. Felix paused and realized how loud he got. He muttered something under his breath before apologizing.

Jack rubbed his side. He knew Mark must’ve been awful confused right about now. What was his soulmate even feeling? Hell, what was Jack feeling?

“You don’t need to stop a business deal because of me.”

“But you’re my family, Jack. You come first.”

Jack sighed and pushed himself away from Marzia. He grabbed onto the warm glass of water by his bedside and gulped it down. 

“We’ll discuss it more in the morning,” Felix spoke. He yawned and rubbed at his eye. “Right now, we’re all tired and frustrated. It’ll be better to think in the morning with leveled heads.”

Jack nodded and put his glass down. “You can go with him, Marzia.”

Marzia’s eyebrows knitted together. “But I-”

“I’m not going to hold you hostage from your soulmate because I’m too stubborn to meet mine. Shoo.” He sent her a smile before continuing. “I’ll make it through the night.”

Marzia squeezed his hand. “If there’s anything you need through the night, you tell me, okay?”

Jack nodded, and Marzia stood up. She followed Felix out of the room and closed the door behind her with a quick ‘good night.’

\--

That morning, Marzia set a fresh cup of coffee down in front of Felix. The kitchen was eerily silent, and the two hadn’t said a word since they woke up. Neither of them slept much that night. Of course, who would have been able to sleep after what happened?

“You both look like someone died,” Jack muttered as he walked into the room. Marzia and Felix’s attention snapped on him. From the better lighting, Felix noticed how sunk in his eyes looked, how ragged his facial hair got, and how Jack’s posture slumped over when he walked. It was like looking at a whole nother person.

Jack sat down across from Felix at the table. Marzia began getting Jack’s cup of coffee ready.

“How are you feeling?” Felix asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

“I want you to say yes to the deal with Mark, on one condition,” Jack spoke. “He comes here to collab instead of over the internet.”

Felix spit into his cup of coffee, sending scalding liquid everywhere. Marzia almost dropped Jack’s cup on the table.

“Y-you sure?” Felix asked. “Just last night you were-”

“Yes,” Jack snapped. “I’m very sure. Just get the bastard over here as soon as possible so I can end my misery.” 

Or make it even worse, he thought bitterly to himself. Which one was the lesser of the two evils again: letting his mark torture him or long for the touch of a man he didn’t even love? Jack was ready to take a chance at this point.


	5. Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camera panned up the stairs, after Pewds somehow tied the dog’s innocence to leaves in the backyard, and caught a trail of cookie crumbs leading up the stairs. As soon as he slammed open the door with his foot, a dude with a cookie hanging from his mouth jumped nearly three feet out of his chair and swore loudly.
> 
> The rest passed in a fuzzy blur to Mark. His side burned like someone put a flame to it. He couldn’t think straight, and he felt sick to his stomach.
> 
> Right in the same spot as his soul mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to post this |D Oh well, at least I had an extra hour to get it out. XD
> 
> Enjoy~

Mark tapped his foot as he waited for his luggage to spin around the conveyer belt. He looked down at his watch and tapped his foot. His eye twitched, and he rubbed at them. Mark had been up for 12 hours. It took him almost two days to get from LA to London. He wished he slept a little bit more on the plane, but his body was super excited for some reason.

Funny, he never thought collaborating with the biggest star on YouTube would be such a big deal to him.

In fact, he didn’t even watch Pewdiepie that much. His friends linked him to a video Pewds put up maybe three, four months ago. It was something done on a whim, titled “This guy keeps stealing all MY FUCKING COOKIES” or something like that.

Mark laughed at the beginning. The awkward humor kept building him up, especially when Pewds kept interrogating his dogs about who was eating the cookies. It reminded Mark of an old Noir movie.

The camera panned up the stairs, after Pewds somehow tied the dog’s innocence to leaves in the backyard, and caught a trail of cookie crumbs leading up the stairs. As soon as he slammed open the door with his foot, a dude with a cookie hanging from his mouth jumped nearly three feet out of his chair and swore loudly.

The rest passed in a fuzzy blur to Mark. His side burned like someone put a flame to it. He couldn’t think straight, and he felt sick to his stomach.

Right in the same spot as his soul mark.

For the next hour, Mark looked through every vlog video Pewdiepie released. He watched Felix’s other videos to see if he got the same tingle. Nothing from Felix seemed to set his soulmark into the frienzy it was in before.

Then that same guy showed up, and Mark’s side burned even stronger. Mark needed to know this strange Irish guy’s name. Eventually, he heard Felix refer to the guy’s name as Jack.

So, why was his mark acting this way? His side didn’t read Jack William McLaughlin or Sean “Jack” McLaughlin. There was no reason for it to burn like someone put 13 habanero peppers to his skin. Perhaps his soul mark was broken.

Three days later, Pewdiepie (or as he signed it, Felix Kjellberg) replied to his message about collabing. Not only did Felix want to collab with Mark, but he also wanted to meet up with him in person. Funny, Mark didn’t remember even sending the first email. He looked through his sent files and did, in fact, send Felix a collab request one night at 3 am. 

Mark never contacted Felix before. He didn’t consider him a friend or even an acquaintance. So why would he pay for Mark to ride all the way to the UK just to do a skit with him? Did he watch Mark’s videos prior? Mark doubted it. He blamed it on the possibility of bringing in new views. Felix and Mark’s circles on YouTube were very different. Perhaps Felix just wanted to gain more attention to himself. Something Mark specifically forbade on his channel.

Why was he here?

Mark noticed his suitcase coming around the belt and picked it up. He looked around the departure bay for any signs of his name. Felix said he prepaid someone to come pick Mark up, name card and all, and they would drive Mark to Felix’s home.

After asking several people of they were his chauffeur, Mark eventually found a chubby man with Mark’s name written on a sign standing in the doorway. He followed the man out to a plain white car and got inside.

The city of Brighton was a lot more sunny than Mark imagined it to be. He heard the UK was known for its rainy days. Perhaps today was an off day? The homes were all so close together here, and Mark wondered how anyone could stand their noisy neighbors.

Eventually, the car pulled up to a three story home in the middle of a long row of homes. Mark stepped out, and the man handed him his luggage. He was a bit hesitant to stay in the house of a man he never met, but something in his gut told him everything was going to be okay.

Mark walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. He set his luggage down and adjusted his shirt. The birds filled in the silence as he waited for someone to open the door.

Huh, maybe no one was home.

The door opened, and a young woman looked out. She smiled as she saw Mark.

“Oh I’m sorry. I must have the wrong house,” Mark said as he picked up his suitcase.

“No, you’re Mark, right? I’m Marzia. I’m Felix’s girlfriend,” she said as she held out a hand for him to shake.

Mark looked down and noticed the blue letters peeking out of her jacket. He smiled and shook her hand. “Mark Fischbach. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Well come inside,” Marzia motioned him in and opened the door wider. Mark made his way past her and set his luggage down on the other side of the door. Two barking pugs tromped down the stairs and began barking. Mark couldn’t help but smile. 

“Don’t mind them. They’re just excited someone new is here,” Marzia explained. “The black one is Edgar, and the other is Maya.”

“I remember seeing them on the videos,” Mark said as he knelt down to pet them.

“Felix, someone’s here to see you,” Marzia called up the stairs. She turned her attention towards Mark. “He’s probably finishing up with his editor now. He’ll be down soon.”

Mark’s attention perked. “His editor… you mean Jack? He’s here too?”

Marzia’s smile faltered. “Yeah. Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all,” Mark said. His side itched, but he pushed the feeling away. 

“How about I show you around a bit downstairs while we wait for him to finish up?”

Mark nodded and began touring with Marzia around their home. Mark kept wanting to wander upstairs, but he fought the urge to ask for an upstairs tour. His mind kept zoning in and out of what Marzia said. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his fingers over the spot on his side. 

His soulmate was here. He knew it. And he was anxious.

“-hungry?”

Mark shook his head. “What?”

Marzia smiled. “I asked, ‘Are you hungry?’ You must’ve had a long flight over.”

Well, Mark’s stomach definitely was filled with dead space at the moment, along with his head.

“No, I’m good,” he said as he looked back toward the stairs. His mouth moved before he could think. “Should we go check up on them?”

Marzia was about to speak when Felix practically ran down the stairs. He adjusted his shirt collar before walking into the kitchen. Marzia sent him an expectant look, and Felix nodded.

“Hey, you must be Mark.” Felix held his hand out to shake.

Mark took it and noticed how tight Felix’s grip on him was. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Likewise,” Felix looked over Mark’s shoulder and then back at him. Mark quirked an eyebrow and turned. Marzia’s mouth closed into a forced smile. A new feeling jostled Mark’s stomach.

What was going on, and what weren’t they telling him?

“So, what did you want to collab on?” Mark asked.

Felix shrugged. “You were the one who asked me to collab.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to ask me to come over to the UK.”

Felix ran a hand through his hair. “Well, how about we-”

Mark’s attention shifted to another human walking down the stairs. His heart pounded in his chest as the man turned and froze at the base of the stairs. And he was staring right at Mark.

“Jack,” Marzia whispered. Felix turned his head to look.

Jack stood with his eyes opened wide. His mouth hung open in awe. As he made his way over toward the kitchen, his pace picked up with each passing step.

Mark’s heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to move forward, but Felix was between him and the Irish fury storming towards them.

“Jack, I thought you were staying upstairs?” Felix asked.

“I couldn’t fucking take it anymore.” Jack’s words came out in a strained whisper. He walked past Felix, who casually slid to the left. Jack’s blue eyes scanned up and down Mark’s body, and Mark shivered.

“Um, hi,” Mark spoke. Jack’s eyes focused on one spot. Mark followed his gaze down to his shirt and swallowed hard. “Can I help you.”

Without saying a word, Jack’s fingers twisted around his own shirt and pulled it up. “This is your name, right?”

Mark’s heart stopped. His eyes traced over his name, written in red letters, on Jack’s torso. He looked from Jack’s side and up to his eyes. Jack’s stare pierced his soul and sent shivers down his spine.

Jack continued, “I really didn’t want to meet you, but here you are, sending Felix emails and shit. You weren’t even straightforward about why you wanted to collab with him. I thought maybe it was something innocent, but you jumped on the chance to come here. You don’t even know Felix. Why didn’t you just say you were-”

“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t here to see you. I came here to collab, honest. I had no idea your soulmate was me.”

Jack’s eyebrows rose toward his hairline. He looked away, his cheeks flushing bright red. His teeth clamped onto his lower lip, and he shoved his shirt down.

“Nevermind. I just… I don’t know what got into me.” Jack rubbed at his eye and dry laughed. 

Mark’s soulmark ached. He wanted to reach over and comfort Jack, hold him, tell him everything was going to be okay. He chose his next few words carefully. “Well, you did just meet your… soulmate. I heard it’s not uncommon.”

Jack’s silence sickened him. Mark made a move toward Jack but stopped himself. Jack’s eyes glanced over at Mark, his lips drawn into a tight line.

“You don’t have any idea who I am, do you?” Jack laughed. “Or, with my rotten luck, I have an unreciprocated soulmate. Maybe that’s why it’s written on my side. Maybe that’s the sick joke.”

“Or maybe it’s something else,” Mark said as his fingers twitched to the rim of his shirt. “My soulmate’s name is written on my side too. I’ve been researching it my whole life, but nothing gave me a straight answer. It said people with those soulmarks had “a special kind of love” or some shit like that. I wish I could give you more answers, but I don’t know much about it myself.”

Jack swallowed thickly. “So, what’s your name?” Mark opened his mouth to speak. “No, I know you’re Mark, but I mean who is your soulmate?”

Mark’s heart pounded as he pulled up his shirt. He heard Marzia gasp behind him, and Felix mutter something.

“I don’t know who he is yet, but I’m hoping to find him,” Mark spoke. 

Jack started laughing. He laughed so hard he doubled over. Mark couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement in his soul. His lips drew into a smile. “What’s so funny? You know the guy?”

“Know him?” Jack spoke between giggles. “Dude, I’m Sean. You mean this whole fucking time, I’ve been losing my shit because I knew I found my soulmate, and you’re just standing there wondering why I’m a fucking mess?”

Jack’s laughter trailed down as Mark’s face paled. “Mark?”

Plop.

“Great job, Jack. You killed him.”

“Fuck off, Felix.”


	6. Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack asked, “So, how long did you know about me?”
> 
> “Not long after I sent the message, apparently. I happened to stumble across you by accident.” Mark rubbed the side of his face. “I remember thinking about you nonstop after that.”
> 
> Jack snuffed. “Yeah, same here.” Mark furrowed his brow. “I mean, I didn’t watch you, but when you sent that email to Felix, you signed it with your real name. Ever since I read it, all I wanted to do was meet you. And I hate it.”
> 
> Mark dry laughed. “Why? I’m a nice guy… I think.”
> 
> “Because I never wanted to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why I wanted to break out into song while writing the title of this chapter, but here it is! A little late, because I was hanging out with my sister this afternoon, but it's here. :D
> 
> Still keeping that NaNoWriMo goal in my sights~

Oh, what a headache. What just happened? Last he remembered, he was on a plane to the UK to collab with Felix. When did he get into such a comfortable bed? 

“-was just one of the best things I ever did for myself.”

Wait, who was talking? Whoever it was, Mark wished they wouldn’t stop.

“Did you ever feel like that? Probably not. I just have rotten luck.”

Oh wait. Mark’s heart jumped. He knew that voice. That was his soulmate. He finally found Sean, no ‘Jack,’ he remembered. 

Mark cracked his eyes open. He was laying in a bed, a warm light blue comforter covering the lower half of his body, and his head rested in a ridiculously soft pillow. There was a small sliver of light coming from the curtains, and he could smell some sort of pastry baking downstairs. He looked to his right.

Jack sat in a chair, his legs straddling the backrest as he rested his arms on top. His chin lay on his forearms, and he stared off into the distance. He looked tired. Mark’s soulmark on the other hand, told him Jack was feeling wistful. He wished he was awake earlier to find out what about.

Jack’s head turned over towards Mark. He did a double take before smiling sheepishly. “Oh, good morning sleeping beauty.”

“How long was I out?” Mark asked as he rubbed his face.

“Practically all day.” 

Mark shot up. Jack started to laugh as Mark checked his phone. “Are you shitting me right now? It’s really 7 pm?”

“Well yeah. Why would I lie to you? You’d know right away.”

Mark’s breath hitched. He side glanced over at Jack, who looked back off into space. He could feel Jack feeling awkward radiating from his soulbond.

Jack asked, “So, how long did you know about me?”

“Not long after I sent the message, apparently. I happened to stumble across you by accident.” Mark rubbed the side of his face. “I remember thinking about you nonstop after that.”

Jack snuffed. “Yeah, same here.” Mark furrowed his brow. “I mean, I didn’t watch you, but when you sent that email to Felix, you signed it with your real name. Ever since I read it, all I wanted to do was meet you. And I hate it.”

Mark dry laughed. “Why? I’m a nice guy… I think.”

“Because I never wanted to meet you.”

Mark’s heart ached, and he looked away. Jack’s emotions flopped around from sadness to anger, and Mark didn’t know what to do. He heard Jack sigh.

“Look,” Jack continued, “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re a great guy. But I haven’t wanted to meet you since I got my soulmark.”

“Nothing personal,” Mark responded. “Just trying to hack the system.”

Jack smirked. “I wouldn’t be so against it if I was attracted to dudes, I guess. I feel cheated, because I’m straight. So, why is my soulmate a guy?”

“Funny thing is, I’m straight too,” Mark responded. Jack looked over to Mark, an eyebrow raised. “Or at least I think I am.”

“Maybe it’s like one of those ‘exception’ things I hear about. People go their whole lives believing they’re one thing, then they meet someone and whoops, there it is.”

Mark smiled. “Well, I have to tell you, besides feeling really light headed when I met you, I don’t feel anything stirring.”

“Yeah, what was up with that?” 

Mark snuffed. “I don’t really know. I think I was just overwhelmed. And since I didn’t sleep for such a long time, my body kind of decided Markiplier.exe would stop working.”

“Well, I hope you feel better now,” Jack said and chuckled. “Well, I know you feel better now.” 

“Yeah, I think you’re going to get the gist of what is going on with me for a while now.” Mark thought for a moment. “You know, when I hear people talk about their soulmates, they say it’s like connecting with someone on a whole nother level. Like you basically become one soul. Do you feel any different after meeting me?”

“Actually, no,” Jack responded. “Like, I can feel what you’re feeling, well not strong, but it’s there, and I want to be close to you, but that’s really it. I still feel like me.”

Mark scratched his chin. “Same here. Maybe we have to do something different. Maybe we can’t just meet up with each other, like other people.” 

He remembered stories from his mother and bit his lip. “You think if we touch, the bond will complete?”

“It’s worth a shot.” Mark remembered Jack’s feelings toward bonding. If they did complete the bond, their feelings toward each other could get stronger, and so would their dependency on each other. He looked down at his hands and wrung them together. “I thought you said you didn’t want to-”

“Well here you are, sitting in my bed, probably farting in it,” Jack waved his hand around. “You know, I still kind of don’t want a soulmate, but I don’t have much of a choice anymore.”

Mark pursed his lips. Having someone be able to complete his thoughts was going to take some getting used to. His side pulsed, as if pushing him toward Jack.

“Well, how about we start with a handshake,” Mark said and held his hand out. “My name’s Mark.”

Jack eyed it over before dry laughing and reaching out. “Sean, but you can call me Jack.”

Their hands touched, and Mark felt like he’d been shocked. He could feel the warm touch of a woman he didn’t know, singing a lullaby in a language he couldn’t understand. He could smell fresh cookies, feel cold rain on his skin, and see a green open field with horses. A dog barked in the background, and an emotion of fondness crashed into him.

Jack seemed to have a bit of a different reaction. He looked afraid. He let go of Mark’s hand and took in a deep breath. Mark ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“What a rush,” Jack whispered.

Mark’s hand went to his side. The burning stopped. A wave of relief washed over him, and he smiled. 

“Maybe now we won’t lose our minds being apart from each other.”

Jack thought of Marzia. He nodded and spoke, “I don’t think it works that way, Mark. We’re always going to want to be near each other.”

“Well shit,” Mark mumbled. “What’s going to happen when I go back to LA?”

“I really don’t know, but I guess we’re going to find out.”

Mark nodded. He was about to get up from the bed when Jack muttered something under his breath. Mark’s eyebrows rose to his hairline.

“Excuse me?”

Jack began to laugh. “You know, even after all that, I don’t have the warm fuzzy feelings when I think about you.”

Mark contemplated for a moment. In fact, he didn’t really want to get it on with Jack either. Weren’t soulmates supposed to want to jump on each other at first contact? Or at least, that’s what the stories told him.

“Did we do it wrong?”

“Maybe we didn’t do it long enough. I did let go suddenly.”

Yeah why was that, Mark thought to himself. He held out his hand again. “Wanna try again?”

“Maybe if you two kiss, it’ll spark something.”

Both heads snapped in the direction of the doorway. Felix leaned against the doorframe, a towel strung over one shoulder and his arms crossed.

“I’m not kissing a strange dude,” Jack growled.

“But he’s not a stranger. He’s your soulmate.” Felix smirked, and Mark watched Jack’s cheeks flush bright red. “Besides, you’re going to want to fuck eventually.”

“DUDE!” Jack threw a pillow at Felix, who started laughing and walked down the hall. Mark watched Jack bury his face in his hands and run them down the side of his cheeks. “Excuse him. He was dropped on his head too many times.”

“We all have that one friend,” Mark spoke. “Unfortunately, I’m that one friend.”

Jack laughed. He stood up from his chair and straightened out his shirt. “Maybe the bond needs a bit to kick in. You did say our soulmarks were different from others, which means our bond is going to grow in a strange way, right?”

“From what I can gather.”

“Great, so we’ll play this by ear. I’m going to go downstairs and help Marzia with her cake. You can stay up here and do whatever it is Markimoos do.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. Jack’s jaw dropped a bit, as if he was going to say more, but he quickly left the room with a quick ‘see you later.’

That was weird.

Mark didn’t remember telling Jack what his mom used to call him.


End file.
